August weber



(No Model.)

A. WEBER. CLAMP FOR ARC LAMP CARBONS.

No. 482,535. Patented sept. 1s, 1892.

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Unir/ran STATES ATENT OFFICE..

ELECTRIC COMPANY,

CLAMP FOR ARC- OF NEWT YORK, N. Y.

LAMP CARBONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,535, datedSeptember 13, 1892.

Application tiled November 4, 1891- Serial No. 410,884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST l/VEBER, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inClamps for Arc- Lamp Carbons, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to devices for 1o holding carbons in arolamps.

' My object is to provide a device of this character in which theclamping membershall be connected to the body of the clamp, so that itwill always be in place, and shall be so suspended that it willautomatically move back when the clamp-screw is withdrawn, whereby theopening into which the carbon is to be inserted will be retained openwhen no carbon is in place, thus allowing an operator to inn 2o sertacarbon withoutthe necessity of manually moving the clamping member outof the way. n Another object is to provide for keeping carbon dust orashes, melted copper, tbc., from z 5 the threads of the clamping-screw.

y In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1is a side view ot a clamp adapted to hold the upper carbon of an arclamp. Fig. 2 is a central section of a 3o clamp adapted to hold thelower carbon. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the clamp shown in Fig. 2. Fig.4shows a slight modification, and Fig. 5 is a section on line a; oc ofFig. 4.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 1 represents the carbon-carrying rod of anarc lamp, to the lower end of which the clamp forming the subject-matterof my invention is attached by means of the clamping-screw 2.

3 is a sleeve having an arm 4, which is sc- 4o cured tothe ring-shapedbody or extension 5 ot' the clamp, preferably by a screw G.

At one side of the ring 5 are lugs 7, to which is pivoted a link 8, atthe upper end of which in a vertical line outside the circumference of acarbon of normal size used in the clamp is the pivot 9 for the movableclamping member 10. This member 10 is of such shape and is so pivotedthat it has a constant tendency to move away from the arm 4, the innerface 5o of which forms one of the clamping-faces of the device. Thistendency is given to the clamping-plate lO by having it pivoted at thetop and having the pivot outside of the center of gravity of the plate.The link S is so formed that it can only move a short distance in eitherdirection.

From the body 5 projects a sleeve 11, having a hole through it for thereception of the clamp-operating screw 12. the screw presses against therear face of the clamp member 10, so that when the screw is turned tomove it inward it presses the pivoted piece against the carbon 13. Whenthe screw is turned in the reverse direction to withdraw it, the member10 follows the screw under the influence of gravity, although there isno positive connection between them. The screwhole is provided with ascrew-thread, preferably for only a portion of its length. This isindicated most clearly in Fig. 2, which shows a screw of the samecharacter as that of Fig. l, and the screw is provided with a threadonly for a portion of the length, which rests within the screw-hole. Theportion from the shoulder 14 to the end 15 of the sleeve, which distanceis a little greater than the full distance which the screw will have tobe moved in the ordinary operation of the device, is smooth. Theopposite end of the screw which projects from the screw-hole to thepivoted plate 10 is also smooth( y Instead of securing link 8 as in Fig.1, it may be secured to the upper lugs by screw 2, as indicated in Fig.4. ably not made to draw the lugs against the link with sufficient forceto prevent the link from swinging freely. In Fig. 4 the support forscrew 12 is in the form of a sleeve ll', secured to the arms 1S. Theuniting ends of these arms have the form shown in Fig. 5 and are securedtogether by the sleeve, the flange being spun over the arms, asindicated in Fig. 5. In the clamp intended for the lower carbon thesleeve 3 and arm 4 are omitted and one side of the ring-shaped body isenlarged, as indicated at 16, to form one face of the clamp.

17 is a lug by means of which the clamp can be secured to thelamp-frame.

The link and the pivots for supporting the movable member of the clutchare numbered the same in Figs. 2 and 3 as in Fig. 1.

The-inner end of.

The screw is prefer-v IOO The special advantage of supporting themovable member of the clamp so that it has a tendency to move away fromthe other face of the clamp has already been indicated. This makes thework of an operator in trimming the lamps easier than with old forms ofclutches in which the movable member of the clamp frequently drops orgets thrown forward when the old carbon is removed, and the operatormust by using his linger or some sort of a tool press the member backbefore he can insert the new carbon, and this is frequentlyinconvenient, as it requires the use of both hands. The screw is formedin the manner described for the purpose of protecting the screw -threadfrom dust or ashes, melted copper, the., which falls from the arc orwhich gathers from other sources. When the screws used have longscrew-threads, so that a part of the thread is exposed when the deviceis in use, substances such as those referred to collect on the threadand gradually work into the sleeve, clogging the screw. When meltedcopper falls on a screw the thread ot' which is uncovered, it sometimeslocks the screw so that it is impossible to turn the screw by hand; but.with the smooth shank extending into the sleeve this difficulty isentirely avoided, since the sleeve protects the screw on itsscrew-threaded portion, and a small quantity of copper or other materialon the smooth part will not prevent the screw from turning.

What I claim isl. The combination, in a carbon-holder, of the main body,the extension therefrom, a link the lower end ot' which is pivoted tothe extension, a clamping-jaw pivoted to the upper end of said link, andmeans for pressing the jaw against a carbon in the clamp, substantiallyas described.

2. The combination, in a carbon-holder, of the main body, the extensiontherefrom, a link the lower end ot which is pivoted to the extension andhaving a stop to limit its forward movement when there is no carbon inthe clamp, a clamping-jaw pivoted to the upper end of said link, but ina line outside of the circumference ot' a carbon of normal size used inthe clamp, and means for pressing the jaw against the carbon in theclamp, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the clamp-body, the movable clamp member, a sleeveon the body, having a screw-hole, and a screw in the same for moving themovable member, said screw having a short screw-threaded section and asmooth section, both within the hole in the sleeve, the screw-threadedpart of the screw being always within the sleeve during use of thedevice, whereby its thread is protected, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a clamp for arclight carbons, of the clamp-bodyhaving a projecting sleeve bored for the reception of a screw, a screwin said hole having a screwthreaded portion adapted to co-operate withthe screw-threaded hole and a smooth portion adapted to enter thescrew-hole, and a clamp member moved by said screw, the smooth portionof the screw being of such length that it always projects into thescrew-h ole during ordinary use of the device, so that the screwthreadwill not be exposed, substantially as described.

5.. The combination, in a clamp for arclight carbons, of the clamp-bodyhaving a projecting sleeve bored for the reception of a screw, a portionof the hole being screwthreaded and a portion being larger and smooth,whereby a shoulder 14 is formed, a screw in said hole having ascrew-threaded portion adapted to co-operate with the screwthreaded holeand a larger smooth portion adapted to enter the smooth portion of thehole, and a clamping-jaw moved by said screw, substantially asdescribed.

This specification signed and witnessed this 30th day ot' October,1%91.`

AUGUST WEBER. Vitnesses:

JOHN McGHm, FREDK. DA. GooLD,

